When Barbie hit theaters last summer and became a phenomenon, I fondly remember people raving over its story, comedy, creativity, and its overarching themes of gender and self-acceptance. This got me thinking about other franchises I grew up with, specifically other doll lines, that taught me so many similar lessons about life and much more.
I never grew up “a Barbie Girl”, but rather little me gravitated towards dolls following this formula:
- Very, very fashionable
- Web shows, books, and movies to go along
- High school for daughters and sons of *insert famous individual here*
I was not the only one who loved this formula, and not by a long shot. For girls living in the world of sequined Justice shirts and Kool-Aid dyed hair, the 2010s saw a trend in series like these. That nostalgia is something so fascinating to look back upon.
The two most popular franchises I remember and that have stuck with me through the years are Monster High and Ever After High. If you have no context as to what these are, take the formula above. For Monster High, children of famous monsters. For Ever After High, children of fairytale characters. The main premise is as simple as that!
Their similarities with each other did not cause issues, however. Both series found their individual popularity very quickly and are still widely remembered today. Diving back and reflecting upon each, I think the main reason for the successes (and my love for both doll lines) comes from the storytelling aspect brought with it. With the internet today, it is common for toys to be promoted along with web shows, which is piggybacking off of Monster High and Ever After High who were the trailblazers for this idea in the early 2010s. Each web show follows these high schoolers, based on the dolls, and their day-to-day lives navigating school and relationships while discovering themselves. Later, books and movies were also produced, to further each tale. The storyline makes the doll more than molded plastic; they are characters, specifically characters that adolescents can find themselves connecting with.
With that brief introduction, here are some things I learned growing up with these trendsetting dolls and their stories that tag along.
1. Celebrate your flaws and embrace what makes you different!
Growing up is hard, especially through adolescence (I can say full-heartedly that fourteen-year-old me was a mess). With that self-discovery portion of life comes a challenging part: understanding that you are not flawless.
Making mistakes, taking risks with yourself, and accepting that you are not perfect is something Monster High always embraced with its characters. Frankie Stein (daughter of Frankenstein’s Monster) often displayed a love for herself, loose limbs, flaws, and all. Frankie’s other friends were also very, very diverse, and embodied their differences. From vampires, werewolves, and cyclopes, there was a doll and a story for each different and beautiful individual.
A fun thing that I have always remembered about Monster High is that each doll came with a diary, documenting their daily lives at high school. Specifically, each doll received something called a “Freaky Flaw”, with each flaw usually relating to the monster background they have. With every flaw mentioned comes open honesty and acceptance of that flaw.
I think my favorite one is Cleo de Nile’s:
“Freaky Flaw: The dark. Yes, I’m a monster who’s afraid of the dark – get over it.”
2. You have the power to run your life!
In a world constantly moving, it can be stressful attempting to get a grasp on your place in all of it. The concept was (and still sometimes is) a very difficult idea to process and understand. The stories following the characters in Ever After High fully encompass the struggle of discovering your story (literally).
Raven Queen is the daughter of the Evil Queen from the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She arrives at high school to realize the students bound to follow in their parent’s footsteps are given the status of “royal” while the students who want to change their futures are given the status of “rebel.” Raven starts this movement when she refuses to follow her mother’s footsteps.
As the series progresses, other students realize they can be whoever they want to be. Realistically, this comes with pushback from students who want to follow the path given to them. The series answers these questions with the characters through web cartoons, short movies, books, and the dolls themselves.
I owned so many of these dolls growing up, and distinctly remember the common slogan on most of the boxes each doll was sealed in:
“Rewrite your own destiny.”
Another thing forever sticking in my mind was how every web episode would end, closing with the quote:
“The end is just the beginning…”
I always thought this was so special, and even more so watching it back. Everyone has a story to tell, and everyone is worthy of telling that story.
3. You are the only person who can define who you are!
Both franchises taught me that I am worthy, I am loved, and I am the only person who can define who I am. To put it simply, be proud of who you are.
Monster High dolls and Ever After High dolls are still very well known for their fashionable look, beautifully sewn-together outfits, charming accessories, and overall unapologetic appearances. There are true-to-yourself personalities behind each plastic toy as well. Going on this nostalgia trip has made me realize characters like these are important.
Teaching lessons of self-acceptance is vital to growing up, and who knew dolls were so good at doing this?